* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Thursday, October 16, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Arts/Entertainment: ‘Wait Until Dark’ brings spooky season center stage – Times Herald Online

    Wait Until Dark’ Delivers Chilling Thrills Perfect for the Spooky Season

    Bluesman James Montgomery Will Perform In Falmouth – CapeNews.net

    Blues Legend James Montgomery Ready to Ignite the Stage in Falmouth

    Mexican singer Pedro Fernández to make Ave Fénix tour stop in Stockton. Tickets, schedule – Yahoo

    Mexican Singer Pedro Fernández Brings the Ave Fénix Tour to Stockton – Don’t Miss It!

    Flutter Entertainment’s SWOT Analysis: Uncovering the Growth Potential Amid Challenges

    Dylan Efron Shares Sweet ‘DWTS’ Rehearsal Photos Featuring His Little Sister Olivia – yahoo.com

    Dylan Efron’s Heartwarming ‘DWTS’ Rehearsal Moments with Little Sister Olivia

    Diane Keaton, Oscar-Winning Star of ‘Annie Hall’ and ‘The Godfather,’ Dies at 79 – Yahoo

    Diane Keaton, Oscar-Winning Star of ‘Annie Hall’ and ‘The Godfather,’ Dies at 79 – Yahoo

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Erie Canal’s 200th anniversary: How a technological marvel for trade changed the environment forever – The Conversation

    Erie Canal’s 200th Anniversary: How a Trade Marvel Transformed the Environment Forever

    Day 5 of Gains Streak for Solidion Technology Stock with 475% Return (vs. -20% YTD) [10/14/2025] – Trefis

    Solidion Technology Stock Rockets for 5th Consecutive Day, Soaring an Astonishing 475% Year-to-Date

    Tracking DNA and RNA Together To Unlock Disease Insights – Technology Networks

    Unlocking Disease Insights by Tracking DNA and RNA Together

    The future of battery technology – Engineer Live

    Revolutionizing Energy: Exploring the Future of Battery Technology

    How Can Boosting Your Travel Experience with Less Technology Lead to a More Relaxing Vacation? All You Need to Know About This Latest Trend – Travel And Tour World

    How Can Boosting Your Travel Experience with Less Technology Lead to a More Relaxing Vacation? All You Need to Know About This Latest Trend – Travel And Tour World

    Davenport CornCon Cybersecurity Conference helps students explore technology, AI use – KWQC

    Davenport CornCon Cybersecurity Conference Ignites Student Passion for Technology and AI Innovations

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Arts/Entertainment: ‘Wait Until Dark’ brings spooky season center stage – Times Herald Online

    Wait Until Dark’ Delivers Chilling Thrills Perfect for the Spooky Season

    Bluesman James Montgomery Will Perform In Falmouth – CapeNews.net

    Blues Legend James Montgomery Ready to Ignite the Stage in Falmouth

    Mexican singer Pedro Fernández to make Ave Fénix tour stop in Stockton. Tickets, schedule – Yahoo

    Mexican Singer Pedro Fernández Brings the Ave Fénix Tour to Stockton – Don’t Miss It!

    Flutter Entertainment’s SWOT Analysis: Uncovering the Growth Potential Amid Challenges

    Dylan Efron Shares Sweet ‘DWTS’ Rehearsal Photos Featuring His Little Sister Olivia – yahoo.com

    Dylan Efron’s Heartwarming ‘DWTS’ Rehearsal Moments with Little Sister Olivia

    Diane Keaton, Oscar-Winning Star of ‘Annie Hall’ and ‘The Godfather,’ Dies at 79 – Yahoo

    Diane Keaton, Oscar-Winning Star of ‘Annie Hall’ and ‘The Godfather,’ Dies at 79 – Yahoo

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Erie Canal’s 200th anniversary: How a technological marvel for trade changed the environment forever – The Conversation

    Erie Canal’s 200th Anniversary: How a Trade Marvel Transformed the Environment Forever

    Day 5 of Gains Streak for Solidion Technology Stock with 475% Return (vs. -20% YTD) [10/14/2025] – Trefis

    Solidion Technology Stock Rockets for 5th Consecutive Day, Soaring an Astonishing 475% Year-to-Date

    Tracking DNA and RNA Together To Unlock Disease Insights – Technology Networks

    Unlocking Disease Insights by Tracking DNA and RNA Together

    The future of battery technology – Engineer Live

    Revolutionizing Energy: Exploring the Future of Battery Technology

    How Can Boosting Your Travel Experience with Less Technology Lead to a More Relaxing Vacation? All You Need to Know About This Latest Trend – Travel And Tour World

    How Can Boosting Your Travel Experience with Less Technology Lead to a More Relaxing Vacation? All You Need to Know About This Latest Trend – Travel And Tour World

    Davenport CornCon Cybersecurity Conference helps students explore technology, AI use – KWQC

    Davenport CornCon Cybersecurity Conference Ignites Student Passion for Technology and AI Innovations

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home News

From schools to the Olympics, how France’s staunch secularism affects religion in public life

May 26, 2024
in News
From schools to the Olympics, how France’s staunch secularism affects religion in public life
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Walk around multicultural metropolises like Paris or Marseille, or any small village in the French countryside, and signs of faith are everywhere. Many Muslim women wear headscarves and historical Catholic churches anchor nearly every neighborhood.

But France’s principle of “laïcité,” loosely translated as “secularism,” means no “excessive” crosses, or kippahs, or Islamic head coverings can be worn by staff, students and players in public schools, hospitals, courts and sports fields — though visitors and spectators can.

As the world’s eyes turn to France, host of the Olympics in two months, this unique way to define the role of religion in public life is getting more scrutiny.

SECULARISM AS A CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE

The French Constitution states that “France is an indivisible, lay, democratic and social Republic.”

A 1905 law codifying the separation of church and state, freeing each from the other’s influence, is similar to most other modern democratic states’ that also contended with a violent history of religious conflicts and absolutist regimes.

But the French version, diverging from the multiculturalism approaches next door in the United Kingdom or in the United States, allows the restriction of religious expression in public spaces that provide services to citizens. Such places should be strictly neutral, emphasizing “that which unites more than that which separates,” according to a guide written by the Education Ministry’s council on secularism.

NO SEAT FOR RELIGION IN THE CLASSROOM

The first such space to become legally lay was the school, says Ismaïl Ferhat, professor at Paris Nanterre University. Laws from the 1880s that made education free and mandatory also required public schools to present no faith viewpoints in the curriculum, and banned pastors from teaching as well as religious symbols from classrooms.

The context for supporters was, and continues to be, that schools should be free of any expression, political or religious or otherwise, that “disturbs the peace.”

The first big political clash came in 1989, when three students refused to take off their headscarves in a classroom near Paris and were expelled. The country’s highest administrative court found schools could limit religious symbols that are ostentatious or worn “in a spirit of protest.”

After a surge in incidents, a 2004 law banned wearing anything that “clearly manifests religious belonging” in public schools, though not in universities. Last year, the Education Minister, who’s now Prime Minister, said the ban included abayas and qamis, clothing traditionally worn in Muslim-majority countries — a move criticized by the U.S. government’s Commission on International Religious Freedom.

ANTI-RADICALIZATION OR DISCRIMINATION?

Supporters of this approach say that secularism, especially in schools but also in sports clubs, is crucial for youth to be free from pressures of proselytism and radicalization.

The latter resonates deeply in France, still scarred by the 2015 attacks when Islamist terrorists killed nearly 150 people. Special anti-terrorism measures will be in place for the Olympics, and already heavily armed officers routinely patrol major cities, while signs alerting the public to the threat are posted from amusement parks to theaters.

But critics also see the establishment responding to the rise of anti-immigrant political parties, which fomented the perception of Islam as a danger to the country.

That has only exasperated already marginalized communities. There, fear but also defiance are growing together, and a feeling of alienation from France runs parallel with more attachment to a religious identity, said Françoise Lorcerie, an Aix-Marseille University professor.

THE BATTLEGROUND OF SPORTS

The battle over secularism extends to sports too, from physical education in schools to elite athletes.

The Education Ministry, arguing there’s a growing threat of radicalization on sports fields, recently published a booklet reminding schools that students can’t “refuse subject matters that seem to them contrary to their convictions.” It advises what to do if they present “unjustified” medical certificates to avoid swimming lessons or gym classes.

Last year, France’s highest administrative court ruled that the soccer federation can ban headscarves in competitions, dealing a blow to the group of soccer players called “Les Hijabeuses” who had launched legal action against the ban.

WHAT ABOUT THE PARIS OLYMPICS?

France’s ban on religious symbols for its athletes at the Olympics is in line not only with the country’s secularism and neutrality principles, but with the Olympic charter, said Médéric Chapitaux, an expert on sports and religion who’s also a member of the French government’s council on laïcité.

Rule 50.2 of the charter prohibits any “demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda” at Olympic sites — and France is only observing it strictly by not making exceptions, such as for headscarves, he added. Athletes from other countries will observe their own regulations.

The charter rule was created in 1975 after highly visible protests by Black American athletes on Olympic podiums, as organizers feared racial and Cold War tensions would spill over into the Games, said Debbie Sharnak, a Rowan University professor who studies the intersection of sports and politics.

But debates over the rule have long simmered and burst onto the global scene in the last Games, amidst renewed concerns for social justice and freedom of expression.

“Sports has never been a separate entity, and if we start putting limits on athletes’ expression, we are taking away this very important platform,” Sharnak said.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : ReligionNews – https://religionnews.com/2024/05/24/from-schools-to-the-olympics-how-frances-staunch-secularism-affects-religion-in-public-life/

Tags: newsolympicsSchools
Previous Post

Pakistan arrests 11 militants involved in Chinese engineers’ killing, officials say

Next Post

Muslim women who are registered to vote are more likely to donate money and volunteer than nonvoters

Using nature to help tackle mental health issues – Inside Ecology

Using nature to help tackle mental health issues – Inside Ecology

October 15, 2025
Get Inspired at the Bay Area Science Festival on Saturday, October 25 – marinmommies.com

Get Inspired at the Bay Area Science Festival on Saturday, October 25 – marinmommies.com

October 15, 2025
Scientists Found a Chemical That Could Help Regrow Your Hair. It Might Be In Your Pantry. – Popular Mechanics

This Common Pantry Ingredient Could Be the Key to Regrowing Your Hair

October 15, 2025
Face your fears in 4k: October State Theatre film lineup – The Daily Collegian

Conquer Your Fears in Stunning 4K: October Film Lineup at the State Theatre

October 15, 2025
Erie Canal’s 200th anniversary: How a technological marvel for trade changed the environment forever – The Conversation

Erie Canal’s 200th Anniversary: How a Trade Marvel Transformed the Environment Forever

October 15, 2025
Sporting KC to participate in 2026 Coachella Valley Invitational – Sporting Kansas City

Sporting KC Prepares for an Exciting Run at the 2026 Coachella Valley Invitational

October 15, 2025
Madagascar: Gen Z protesters united by an anime pirate flag are challenging governments around the world – NBC News

Madagascar: Gen Z protesters united by an anime pirate flag are challenging governments around the world – NBC News

October 15, 2025
New report reveals concerning blind spot posing risk to global economy: ‘Not a distant threat’ – Yahoo Finance

New report reveals concerning blind spot posing risk to global economy: ‘Not a distant threat’ – Yahoo Finance

October 15, 2025
Arts/Entertainment: ‘Wait Until Dark’ brings spooky season center stage – Times Herald Online

Wait Until Dark’ Delivers Chilling Thrills Perfect for the Spooky Season

October 15, 2025
Potential crisis looms with loss of environmental health research – Johns Hopkins University

Urgent Alert: Environmental Health Research at a Crossroads

October 15, 2025

Categories

Archives

October 2025
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Sep    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (869)
  • Economy (890)
  • Entertainment (21,762)
  • General (17,615)
  • Health (9,932)
  • Lifestyle (903)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (891)
  • Politics (900)
  • Science (16,101)
  • Sports (21,390)
  • Technology (15,870)
  • World (873)

Recent News

Using nature to help tackle mental health issues – Inside Ecology

Using nature to help tackle mental health issues – Inside Ecology

October 15, 2025
Get Inspired at the Bay Area Science Festival on Saturday, October 25 – marinmommies.com

Get Inspired at the Bay Area Science Festival on Saturday, October 25 – marinmommies.com

October 15, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version